Truth be told, before I watched this 2001 cult film, I was familiar with Donnie Darko' iconic scenes. There's the Teacher Drew Barrymore clip who instructed her new student to sit next to the cutest boy. And another was that much more known dialogue between Jake Gyllenhaal and Jena Malone. In that clearly beloved sequence, Malone's character told Gyllenhaal's that he was weird. The boy apologized, but she cleared that she meant it as a compliment. I surmise, it is because of this movie that the term "weird" became so romanticized. Everyone wanted to be called weird, rather than something less strange of a compliment.
But anyhow, looking at these popular lines from the film, I thought it would be a cute love story. And while the title was a bit strange, I thought it's an irony for the protagonist's actual cheerful demeanor. Until I Googled the film and was met by a distorted and so much less cuter image of a bunny rabbit on its poster, and creepy images of Jake Gyllenhaal staring deeply to your soul. Just after reading the provided plot, then I thought that the teenage romance was but a subplot.
Oh, subplots. Donnie Darko is filled with lots of it. But all these subplots were woven brilliantly by writer-director Richard Kelly that the movie didn't feel overloaded. Despite this, the much smaller stories were almost inevitably overwhelmed by the more essential ones. And with this film, some of those plot lines have a unique importance, that neglecting it made the film vaguer than it already was. What I would do to have some of these subplots longer, simply to clear some its ambiguity. But sure, the charm of the film is in its ambiguity.
I forgot to mention: when you watch this film, expect to be stunned, dumbfounded and utterly confused when the credits begin to role. It's indeed a mind-bending journey. This is one of those films you need to watch three times before you really get the gist of it. Or you can read some online discussions about this film. That's something I would do. It is because of this that I cannot comment on the story; I'm still trying to figure it all out.
Other Points:
- Jake Gyllenhaal was a revelation in this film. He successfully embodied the smart troubled teenager with the angst towards authority and the adults, that adorable softness to his girl, and the overall menace. He was Donnie Darko.
- The comedic sequences made this heavy and dark film much lighter. And for that, kudos to Beth Grant who portrayed the annoying and fanatical gym teacher, Kitty Farmer.
- I enjoyed the scientific transitional scenes, as it not only pushed the movie forward, but it also was a visual appeal.
- I was not kidding when I said this is meant to be watched three or more times.
Overall Rating: 8/10
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